Catastrophe
by Charboday
Summary: Lucy gets turned into an Exceed. Now she and the rest of Fairy Tail are trying to find a way to revert her back to being human. Just a little something to work on the side of my other Fairy Tail story, which yes, I'm still writing. I don't own anything.
1. Chapter 1

**Catastrophe**

**Chapter 1**

"Here's your reward, ma'am," the man handed Lucy Heartfilia 20,000 Jewels and an ancient looking book.

She took her earnings with a smile. "Thank you very much, sir. Have a good day!" She cheerily shouted over her shoulder to the man as she walked out the door. She hastily made her way to the inn to retrieve her belongings.

Swiping her hand against Horologium's key informed her that she was, in fact, running late. She picked up her pace, praying she wouldn't miss the train that was due to leave in less than thirty minutes.

She finally arrived at the inn and rushed to gather her things. After another five minutes, she had everything and was once again rushing to get to the train station.

She could finally make out her destination, the train station. She could see that the train still hadn't left and slowed her sprint to a swift jog, assured that she would make it.

Just as she arrived there, the train whistles blew, announcing it's taking off. Immediately, the smile that had adorned her face fell and her chocolate eyes widened in shock.

"No! Wait, I'm here! Please don't leave," she shouted to the departing train.

_I'm too late . . . Great. Looks like I'll have to catch the next one. That could take several hours._

She heavily sighed in defeat and slowly trudged her way over to the ticket booth. The lady at the counter held a look of pity on her face. Upon seeing this Lucy felt the need to redeem herself from before so she gave the lady a shining smile.

"Hello, ma'am, I was wondering when the next train to Magnolia will be departing," Lucy questioned. Only, the lady's look of pity seemed to increase.

"I'm sorry, dear," she paused sadly. "The next train to anywhere doesn't arrive for another month." Lucy's award-winning smile dropped her eyes once again, widening in shock. "We're a pretty small community out here and hardly anyone ever ventures out this way," her voice held a great amount of remorse at having to relay this to the young Mage.

"But I'm sure the inn would be more than happy to house you for a little bit longer," the lady kindly amended.

"That's alright," Lucy spoke sadly. "Can you point me in the direction of the next town and how far off it is?"

It was the lady's turn to look shocked.

"Are you sure? There isn't another town for quite awhile away. As I said, we don't get many visitors and it's because we're in the middle of nowhere," the lady sighed in defeat at the unwavering look of determination from the blonde.

"Okay, okay, child," she relented, bringing up her hands in defeat. "The next town is Southwest from here. I'm not sure how far it is, but I do know it will take you more than a couple days, a week at most, to get there and there's also a path that you can follow. You might want to at least stock up on food and such if you plan on walking there," she recommended to the Mage.

"Thank you," Lucy replied kindly before making her trek back into town to do as the lady said and buy some food for her journey.

After purchasing a descent amount of non-perishable food, she started off into the forest on the path the kind lady had pointed out earlier. She dreaded walking to the next town; however, waiting for a complete month to catch a train was worse, besides her rent was due in two and a half weeks. And most of all, she just wanted to return to Magnolia and be with her family again.

She couldn't wait to tell them how her solo mission went. She was very proud of herself. Everything had gone smoothly . . . _Well, except catching the train_, she thought sourly. After that thought she shook herself of her negativity and focused again on her family, the wonderful guild she had waiting for her.

She hoped they didn't get too worried about her absence; after all, she did assure Natsu that she would be home in a little over a week. She only barely got away with going on a mission by herself. Her team wanted to attend this mission with her, but she wasn't having any of it.

Besides, with Lisanna back, she wanted her team to really spend time with their old friend. They hardly have had chance since her return, despite how long she's been back, and felt bad for taking all of their attention from the younger Strauss sibling.

She knew Natsu needed spend time with her the most, after finding out about what happened to Lisanna and how Natsu took her death; she was surprised that he didn't spend more time with the Take-Over Mage. He hung out with her some times, but mostly stayed by Lucy's side.

Lucy, of course, felt guilty for this. She could see how much Lisanna liked Natsu, very dense Natsu. Yet, his focus and attention was always on his best friend. Well, his friend, eating, and fighting. Lots and lots of fighting.

Lucy released a small giggle thinking of how much her best friend loved to fight. A small smile lifted the corners of her lips.

All her friends, well more so, her family, all seemed to love fighting, with a few exceptions. They were a rowdy bunch alright, but she loved them all dearly. She felt a bout of homesickness wash over her.

She couldn't wait to get home.

* * *

Lucy had been walking for three days and could just feel that she was close. She just had that gut-feeling. Even though she was excited and just wanted to take off in a sprint, she decided against it.

Instead, she decided to take a lunch break, after all, she had been walking since very early morning and it was late afternoon.

She found a comfortable fallen log with a large boulder nearby.

_Perfect!_

She set her bag on the boulder and sat down on the log. First, she pulled out her water bottle and took a long gulp of the refreshing liquid. After, she set it off to the side to retrieve one of the few granola bars left from her purchase a few day prior.

That's when it caught her attention, the book she was rewarded with for completing the mission. Originally, it wasn't part of the reward, but after the man who hired her found out her love for books, he gave her the tome, hoping she would enjoy it more than he did.

She pulled out the heavy book, trying to avoid hurting the ancient binding, which seemed ready to fall apart at any moment. Placing it on her lap, she quickly snatched up the granola bar and began nibbling it while opening the cover of the book.

A bright light seemed to explode from the book, completely consuming Lucy in its blinding light. After it died down, the book completely disintegrated and turned to dust carried away by the wind.

However, this was hardly noticed by Lucy, as she was busy falling face first on the moss-covered ground in front of the log that she previously sat on.

"Ouch," she muttered rubbing her face standing up, not realizing anything was wrong.

As she pulled her hand away and looked around, she noticed everything seemed off, the world seemed larger, taller. That's when she noticed the hand she had just pulled away from her face mere moments ago, it wasn't a hand at all, but a paw, a bright, yellow paw that matched the color of her hair.

She screamed, but it came out more like a cat's yowl. Both her paws flew to cover her mouth, stopping the sound. Her heart was racing so fast.

"What just happen," she said aloud, her voice slightly different than before.

_Wait, I can still speak! But what the hell just happened?_

Looking down at her body, she yowled once more. Her body was tiny, yellow like her paws, and definitely furry.

_Am I-Am I a cat? _

A bright, golden light shined off to her right. It cleared to reveal Loke, her trusty spirit.

"Princess," he spoke calmly down to her tiny form. "We felt the shift and knew something was wrong. So I opened my gate, what happened?"

"I-I don't know, I was sitting down to eat and I open-," her eyes widened. "The book! I opened the book I got from my mission and then a white light surrounded me, the next thing I know, I'm a cat!"

"Where is the book, Princess?" Loke worriedly asked.

"It's over there," Lucy began pointing, but realized the book wasn't there. She began looking around the fallen log frantically. "It was right in my lap; I don't know what happened to it! What if I can't turn back," she fretted, tears starting to form in her eye before she all out started sobbing.

"Shhhh, it's alright, Princess," he reassured to Lucy, picking her up and hugging her to his chest. "Look on the bright side, I don't think you're any old cat, no, I think you're an Exceed. I bet if you tried, you could even use Aera Magic and get yourself a pair of wings," he said excitedly. This only made Lucy groan in annoyance.

"Here, there seems to be a town not too far away. I'll keep my gate open and accompany you until we get back to Magnolia and the guild. I'm sure they'll know what to do, and if they don't, they'll find out how to help you," he said softly.

With one hand, he quickly gathered Lucy's stuff into the bag and swung it over his shoulder, while his left hand still firmly cradled his little, furry master to his chest.

They started off together to get to the town. Shortly after, a mere ten minutes, they arrived at the edge of the town.

Loke asked a passing couple where the train station was located in the town, they pointed him in the direction and he was off once again. He found it quickly and went straight for the ticket booth.

"Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me when your next train departs to Magnolia," he asked the young man behind the counter.

He smiled cheerily at Loke and Lucy before replying. "You have an adorable Exceed there, sir," he complemented, making Lucy blush Oh and the next train leaves in five minutes, would you like to buy a ticket?" He kindly asked.

"Yes, please," Loke replied simply.

They made the exchange and they finally were able to board the train.

Luckily, they found the train to be pretty empty. They ended up getting a compartment all to themselves. Loke didn't bother storing Lucy's small backpack and just placed it on the seat beside him and just held Lucy on his lap.

"So, how are you handling this?"

"It's starting to set in, but it all feels so surreal, like this is just one strange dream," she softly whispered up to him.

"The train is now departing, we'll be arriving in Magnolia in two hours," the overhead speakers announced before the train started moving.

"It'll be okay, Princess, I'm sure it will all work out," he spoke with confidence. Lucy couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what I was so worried about earlier, thanks, Loke," she replied sincerely.

Loke started stroking her back and she found she enjoyed it. Soon she felt herself drift off into a much-needed sleep.

* * *

"We've arrived in Magnolia. Thank you for riding with us," the overhead speakers announced.

Loke stood up with the still-sleeping Lucy and he slung her bag over his shoulder. He swiftly exited the train and made his way to their home.

Before he knew it, the Fairy Tail guild sign could be seen and picked up his pace.

Since his hands were full with Lucy and holding her bag strap to his shoulder, he roughly kicked open the guild doors, making a very loud entrance to the equally loud group of Mages.

All eyes turned to the lion spirit, some filled with relief, others with fear.

"Loke!" Natsu shouted. He hastily ran up to said man, not noticing the small, yellow bundle in his arms. "Where's Luce, she said she was going to be home days ago. Come on, man," he spoke excitedly at the prospect of seeing his best friend again. "Where is she, I've been patiently waiting for her!" Several people could be seen rolling their eyes at this statement, clearly proving what he said to be untrue.

Finally, Gray and Erza came up to him as well. The rest of the guild settling for watching and waiting to hear what happened to their beloved Celestial Spirit Mage. They all had missed her dearly and had started to worry, even some of the members that would least likely notice her absence.

However, it seemed that Natsu's loud voice roused Lucy. She groggily lifted her head from the warm body she was clutched to. Her deep chocolate eyes making contact with the onyx eyes of her best friend.

"Whoa! You got an Exceed too, Loke! No way, you got one even before Laxus did," he shouted joyously. Laxus glared down at the Fire Dragon Slayer, who took no notice of the death glare aimed his way.

No one but his team knew how much Laxus desired to have an Exceed. Normally, he wouldn't care what other people thought, but it seemed everyone thought it was strange he had yet to get an Exceed. At first, it didn't bother him, but the more he thought about, the more he wanted one.

Before Loke could inform everyone of Lucy's predicament, a blast of fire shot thought Loke's chest, barely missing Lucy. Loke faded back into the Spirit World with a last remorseful look aimed at his master and the pained words, "I'm sorry." He completely disappeared.

All of a sudden, Mages began flooding into the guild, attacking anyone and everything in sight; including a yellow exceed that just fell from her spirit's grasp. This was a dark guild pissed off at Fairy Tail and they were going to make them suffer.

The Fire Mage built up a large ball of dark fire before aiming it right at Lucy and releasing it, sending it flying towards her tiny body. Her eyes widened in fear, her breath hitched, and her muscles tensed to prepare for the incoming pain she was sure she would be feeling.

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Chapter one of the story I'm writing on the side of Lucy the Dragon Slayer, or whatever I called the other one, even though I've written quite a bit to this story more than the other one. x) I actually have chapter two of both of my Fairy tail stories started...and I was supposed to be finishing my stupid online class for the half a credit I'm lacking that's needed for me to graduate, instead I've spent several hours writing this. Ha! xD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The fire never hit the tiny Exceed. Laxus used his magic to transport himself behind the Exceed and scooped her up right before being burned by the other Fire Mage, who shot another blast of fire right at her. The fire went straight for Natsu who had still standing behind where she used to be.

He consumed the fire hungrily with a satisfied smirk, and then released it in his Fire Dragon's Roar. The blast knocked out the first wave of Mage's the stormed the guild. Still, more Mages rushed in through the doors.

By now everyone had joined the fray. Both Exceeds and Mages alike, attacking the oncoming enemy.

Meanwhile, Lucy was shocked into silence, still mourning Loke, though he wasn't dead forever. Laxus was fiercely protecting the tiny bundle, still upset, in his arms. He continuously released his magic to shock the enemy, while dodging or taking every hit to make sure the Exceed remained unharmed.

Both Laxus and Natsu had been so distracted that neither paid attention to the Exceed's scent. If they had, they would have immediately recognized the fur ball to be none other than Lucy.

However, two other Dragon Slayers caught the blonde's scent right away when she first entered. At the moment, Gajeel and Wendy were the only two people in the guild who knew that the little yellow Exceed was Lucy, though it confused them how it could be possible.

The two Dragon Slayers feared for the blonde. She was in very capable hands, if anyone could protect her; it was the Lightning Dragon Slayer. Unfortunately though, this means she would be right in the center of the fighting. This put Wendy on edge, she knew Lucy was capable of taking care of herself, but she wasn't _herself_.

On the other hand, Gajeel was angered by the blonde Dragon Slayer's stupidity; he dared to put the Light of Fairy Tail in harm's way. Regardless of belief, he cared deeply for the Celestial Spirit Mage. After all, it was Lucy and Levy that first truly accepted him into the guild, despite his past transgressions as a Phantom Lord Mage. Though, they both had the most reason to resent him.

That was all the reason he needed to rush to Laxus' side. He _needed _to get Lucy away from the battle. He couldn't risk her getting hurt. Within seconds, he was by the other Dragon Slayer.

"Laxus, let me see the Exceed," Gajeel demanded urgently.

"What? No, I got this under control, Metal Head," Laxus growled back. He refused to relinquish his hold on the new Exceed. This was his chance to finally have one of his own. He would never let harm come to her and he would never let anyone take her away.

"Listen to me, Laxus. I will protect her," he enunciated carefully, trying to assuage the older Dragon. "I know you can protect her as well, but I want to get her away from the fighting. I won't let anything happen to her, I swear," he spoke with a serious sincerity he knew the other man could pick up on.

Laxus let out a frustrated growl before he begrudgingly handed the Exceed over to the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Without delay, knowing the guild was doing an outstanding job at crushing the attacking Mages, Gajeel took off with Lucy. He slipped out one of the guild's back entrances.

Wendy who hadn't taken her eyes of the yellow Exceed once, soon followed after the duo, Carla flying next to her.

She found the two had already greatly distanced themselves from the guild, as Gajeel had sprinted away. Wendy and Carla picked up their pace, lest they get left behind. She could always follow their scents, but she still felt uneasy about the whole situation and didn't want to lose sight of her blonde friend turned feline.

Eventually, Gajeel stopped in a park, allowing the other Dragon Slayer and white Exceed to catch up.

"So you know it's her too?" Gajeel grumbled out.

"Yeah, I'm surprised Natsu and Laxus didn't," Wendy replied softly. Carla just watched to two with interest, trying to understand the situation.

Silence only engulfed the area, neither knowing what else to do. Finally giving up on figuring out what the two Dragon Slayers meant, Carla began to speak, "What do you two mean? Who is she?" She asked, gesturing towards the yellow fur ball in Gajeel's muscled arms.

Before Gajeel or Wendy could answer her, Lucy finally decided to join the conversation. "Well, Carla, it's me, Lucy!" she revealed almost excitedly, a slight smile adorning her furry, little face.

Carla just stared wide-eyed at her fellow Exceed. She attempted to say something, anything, but the words were stuck in her throat. _How? It's not possible._ She couldn't quite understand if what she was seeing was actually in front of her.

Seeing her friend at a loss for words, Wendy asked the question on everyone's' mind, "How?" Everyone waited and listened intently for the small Mage's answer.

"You all know I was on a solo mission," she stated, everyone nodded. "Well," she paused, collecting her thoughts, "um, in my reward, I got this ancient book. When I stopped for a lunch break, I opened it. But when I opened it, I was blinded by a bright light, and well, I was an Exceed . . ." she trailed off with a nervous laugh.

"Is that even possible?" Carla asked in disbelief.

"Apparently so," Gajeel answered gruffly. "If I wasn't seeing it, I wouldn't believe it. But Bunny Girl is definitely an Exceed," he added.

"Gajeel, I don't think you can really call her Bunny Girl anymore," Wendy said nervously. "She's an Exceed now."

A deep, rumbling laugh left the older Slayer. "I guess you're right, unless . . ." Gajeel began thinking up ways to acquire a bunny costume that would fit an Exceed, an evil smirk on his face. Lucy's fur stood up on end at the face Gajeel was making.

She struggled in his arm, but his grip on her wasn't budging. Another booming laugh came from the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Nah, you'll always be my Bunny Girl, whether you're human or a cat, nothing will change that." His voice held pride.

"Aw, thanks. You're so sweet," Lucy grumbled up to her companion. He just gave another chuckle in response.

"Um, do you want to go back to your apartment?" Wendy asked.

"Actually, I want to go back to the guild. We should be helping them fight the other Mages!" Lucy replied with determination.

"No, I will _not _put you in danger," Gajeel growled. He could see she was about to argue so he kept talking before she could start. "I know you can take care of yourself, hell, you're strong, Bunny Girl. But I refuse to let you try to fight this battle as an Exceed. What are you going to do, scratch their eyes out?" He asked her rather rudely.

"Maybe I might just scratch yours out," she huffed, annoyed with his attitude.

The eldest of the bunch started chuckling at her childish behavior, unable to contain his amusement. He suddenly became serious. "I'd like to see you try, little kitty," his voice lowered to intimidate the tiny fur ball in his arms.

Lucy only glared back into his red eyes. "We need to help them," she growled to infuriating man.

"And I said no," Gajeel stated sternly. His eyes narrowed down at the Exceed, challenging her to fight him on this.

She just huffed angrily up at the Slayer. "I'm a Mage of Fairy Tail; I will not back down from a fight. There is no way I'm going to sit around doing nothing when our friends are fighting for our guild. And you," she used her paw to jam into his chest, "should be there helping as well. We _need _to help them, Gajeel, please?" she desperately asked.

Gajeel's expression softened, understanding her need to fight alongside their family. He just feared that something would happen to the little Exceed. He couldn't ever let anything happen to her. He promised himself to protect both Lucy and Levy when he joined this guild and he felt letting her fight was a bad decision. _No, I can't. I'm sorry, Bunny Girl._

He strengthened his resolve, hardening his voice slightly to give himself more authority. "No, I can't put you in harm's way. It's for your own good."

He started walking in the direction of Lucy's home, Lucy struggling to get out of his grasp. He called over his shoulder to the younger Slayer and Exceed, "You two coming or not?"

"Gajeel," Wendy said softly. He stopped and turned to face her, his studded brow rising slightly in question. "I think we should go back to the guild," she stated nervously.

His eyes narrowed dangerously and let out a threatening growl. He had come to view the Sky Slayer as a younger sister and he felt betrayed for her not taking his side, especially because he knew she cared deeply for the Celestial Mage and would never want to put her in a situation she could potentially get hurt in.

Wendy only slightly flinched at Gajeel's sudden change in body language. She knew he would never hurt, but it just shocked her to see him react to her this way. He wasn't exactly the gentlest person towards her, but was significantly kinder than this.

She shook herself for courage before speaking up again, "Gajeel, I think it would be alright if we took her back. It . . ." she paused as he growled again, unsure if she should fight the older Slayer on this. _I need to, for Lucy. _She inhaled deeply, calming her nerves before continuing, "It will be alright, think about it. She has not only us, but the rest of Fairy Tail looking after her. No one will be able to get to her. She will be safe," she ended softly.

Again, Gajeel found himself hesitate and wanting to return to the guild. However, he still felt uneasy about bringing Lucy into such a dangerous place. _She can't protect herself, not like this. I have to protect her._

He sighed deeply, "I can't, Wendy. I can't take that risk," he whispered. Guilt kept him from letting her return to the guild. He hurt her once, far more than some of their enemies, now he had to make up for that by doing everything in his power to protect her in this vulnerable state.

"But Pantherlily has no problem staying safe. Even Happy and Carla are fine, and they're Exceeds. We can protect her," her voice quivered, she knew she was fighting a losing battle, but she didn't want to let the person she looks up to like a sister down. _Lucy has done so much for me and I can't even do this for her. _Tears began to well up in her eyes at the hopeless feeling.

Gajeel froze, his eyes widening in shock. He hadn't meant to make Wendy cry, he just wanted to protect Lucy. He growled lightly in frustration, not sure how to deal with the situation.

"Please," Gajeel said brokenly. Lucy halted her persistent struggling as she heard the desperation in his voice. She immediately felt bad, never has she heard him sound like that. _He just wants to keep me safe._

"Hey, Gajeel," Lucy softly spoke. "It's alright; we don't have to go to the guild." He relaxed greatly in relief. "Unfortunately though, we can't go to my house. I locked it up on when I went on my mission. Loke put my keys in my bag, which is still at the guild from where it had dropped when he was attacked."

"My place then?" he asked. Lucy nodded, feeling excited to see where her friend lives. After getting her confirmation, he looked over to Wendy. "Sound good to you?"

"Yeah," she said, still disappointed that she wasn't able to help Lucy.

"Alright, then let's go," he demanded. He strode off in the opposite direction to his home. He made sure to stay far away from where the guild was since he would have to pass it to get to his place from where they were.

_Now I can keep her safe, _he thought happily.

* * *

**Author's Note: So yeah, sorry about taking so long. All mistakes are mine, sorry about them. Hopefully there isn't too many. This chapter pretty much was to establish the relationships of these characters. They are pretty chill with each other and are closer than in the anime. Also, I have no clue what I'm doing with this story...ideas and feedback will greatly appreciated. :)**

**Review Response:**

**booklover21567: I did...finally x)**

**Lucy x Dragneel: Aw, thank you very much! :)**

**kurahieiritr JIO: Yeah, that's why I wanted to write it. Something different, since I come across the same general stories again and again. Now if only I knew where I was going with this story...Anyways, you're welcome. :)**

**queenpragmatic: Dang, you got it, good job. Did I make it too obvious? I'll try to work on that. And sorry for making you try to contain your excitement for so long, this chapter isn't even that exciting... °~°**

**breeanna carita****: Yay! And yeah...sorry for taking so long. But hey, I finally wrote more. x) Also, you need to watch Fairy Tail, it'll be easier to understand once you do. **

**Charstar1fun: I finally did, and thanks! :)**

**magician720: I'm tempted to ask you what the name of the other story is, but if it's incomplete and doesn't look like it's getting an update again, then I probably shouldn't. This story will be continued, just slowly, sorry****... °~°**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

They finally defeated all the attacking Mages, some having fled, and the Rune Knights were on their way to collect the ones who couldn't get away.

Now that they had been dealt with, Laxus no longer felt his presence was needed and ran off in search of the Iron Dragon Slayer and more importantly, the golden-furred Exceed. He desperately wanted to have her back so that he may ask her to join him as his partner.

"Hey, Laxus!" Natsu shouted as the blonde Slayer was darting out the guild doors. Laxus slowed momentarily before continuing running off. "Laxus, where you going?" Upon realizing he wasn't going to get an answer, Natsu took off after the older man.

The rest of Team Natsu and even Pantherlily followed after the other Slayers. Pantherlily following only because he had watched Gajeel take the Exceed. He knew it was Lucy the moment her spirit brought her through the guild doors. It was rather obvious, but as far as he could tell, his partner and Wendy were the only other people who figured it out.

Laxus followed the scent of the Iron Slayer away from the guild only to realize that it looped back around, leading right back near the guild. The blond let out a frustrated growl, before sprinting faster.

_Were they already heading back to the guild and I just missed them, _he wondered, annoyed with himself.

Laxus finally registered the pink-haired terror running alongside of him. Not breaking his stride, he glared at the fellow Slayer. "What are you doing here, Natsu?" he growled out.

"Well, I'm following you, of course. You're looking for Gajeel because he has that Exceed with him, right? I wanted to see if I could help at all," Natsu replied with a large grin. "Also, I smell Luce with him! Why didn't she come say hi to the guild yet?" he pouted childishly.

"And why is she even hanging out with Metal Head anyways?" he questioned suspiciously, more to himself than the other slayer.

Laxus halted abruptly, causing Gray, who Laxus had yet to notice, run right into him. The Slayer whirled around to face the Ice Mage with a snarl on his face. "Watch it!"

"You're the one who stopped suddenly, you watch it!" Gray retorted.

A metal-clad hand whacked the Ice Mage upside his head. "Gray, apologize for running into Laxus," Erza demanded.

With a scowl, Gray reluctantly apologized to the blonde. "My bad," he said simply.

"Whatever. What are you all doing following me?" Laxus asked the other Mages and Exceeds.

"Actually, we're following Flame Brain over there," Gray muttered, gesturing to Natsu.

"I'm following you so that I may find Gajeel," Pantherlily stated after Gray.

After getting his answer, Laxus turned back to the Fire Dragon Slayer. "You said you smelled Blondie, but she wasn't with Gajeel. He took off to protect that Exceed for me," he finally told Natsu. "However, I do faintly smell traces of her scent, but it smells . . ." he contemplated for a second, ". . . off," he concluded.

"Yeah, you're right. Now that I think of it," Natsu stated. All of a sudden, panic swept over the Fire Slayer, his eyes widened. "What if Luce is hurt?" With that said, he took off.

Team Natsu once again followed closely behind. Pantherlily turned to the Slayer questioningly. _Has he figured it out yet? _Laxus just stood there a moment longer, a slightly perplexed expression on his face, before he sprinted after the others. Pantherlily flew above the blonde. _No he hasn't, _he thought.

The panic-stricken group made it to Gajeel's place in the forest twice as fast, worried about their Celestial Spirit Mage's health.

Natsu burst through the door without a thought. He was too worried about his best friend; the thought of her injured had terrified and enraged him greatly. The door, unfortunately, was far more injured than Lucy however. It was splintered and hanging off the hinges from Natsu's hasty entrance.

Four eyes whirled around to face the intruder who abruptly and unceremoniously entered the Iron Slayer's home, a scowl immediately marring said Slayer's face. Meanwhile, Wendy and Carla watched confused and Lucy was just curious by her best friend's behavior, though not surprised, it was Natsu after all.

The others finally caught up to their teammate and crossed the threshold into the house, Laxus and Pantherlily following after shortly.

Gajeel angrily rose from his position on the couch. "What the hell are you all doing in my home?" he bellowed, completely pissed off at the damage done to his poor door.

"Where's Luce?" Natsu demanded. His game face was firmly in place and he took on a fighting stance. "Is she hurt?"

"Actually, Natsu, Lucy is fine," a soft voice hesitantly said. Natsu quickly looked to Wendy. "Well, sort of."

Natsu rushed passed Gajeel and the Exceed in his studded arms. He kneeled by the younger Slayer's side. "What do you mean, 'sort of', Wendy? Where is Lucy; does she need help?" Wendy could see how worried Natsu was about his best friend. She wanted to answer his questions, but he kept asking more.

"Give her space," demanded the white-furred Exceed. "Now, go ahead, child, explain what happened," Carla added, seeing how her friend was struggling to get a word in between Natsu's questions.

"Well, Lucy is alright. She isn't hurt, but she's not the same," she said, struggling to explain herself. "She kind of changed."

"What does that mean?" Natsu cut her off again.

"Look for yourself, Salamander," Gajeel growled to the boy. Everyone turned to face Gajeel and the mystery Exceed. It clicked in Erza's and Gray's heads; the Exceed was Lucy. However, Natsu, Happy, and Laxus still didn't get the picture. Laxus hadn't even paid attention to the conversation thus far; he was focused on the yellow Exceed the moment he entered the Iron Slayer's home.

Without thinking, he approached the dark-haired Slayer and Exceed. Laxus brought his hand up to the brightly colored fur and stroked it softly. Everyone who figured out who the Exceed was stood in shock at the gentle caress Lucy was receiving from Laxus, Lucy included.

She stared up at the blonde Slayer with widened eyes. Seeing her unease, Laxus began trying to calm her with soothing sounds while continuing to stroke her soft fur.

"It's ok, little one. I won't hurt you," he soothed. "I wanted to know if maybe you will be my Exceed? I'll take care of you better than anyone else will, I promise." It was the first time that most of them had ever heard Laxus sound so unsure and desperate about something. His eyes gleamed with anxious hope, afraid of rejection, but yearning for acceptance.

Natsu was quiet for once, despite still worrying for his blonde friend. Something felt off to the Fire Slayer. He began focusing solely on this mystery Exceed; she felt off. He couldn't quite pick out what was wrong though.

Meanwhile, said Exceed struggled for words. Laxus absentmindedly continued to rub her fur, something she'll never admit to enjoying, as he waited with baited breath for her answer.

"I, well, um…"

"Laxus," a deep voice cut off her struggling. Laxus quickly glanced over to the dark-furred Exceed.

"What?" he asked Pantherlily.

"That Exceed," he said, gesturing to Lucy. "Tell me, does she seem familiar at all to you?"

Laxus was confused now. He turned back to the furry bundle in Gajeel's arm, ceasing his hands ministrations as he tried to understand what it was Pantherlily was talking about. As he thought about it, the little Exceed did seem familiar, but he didn't know why.

Suddenly, a voice that had been quiet thus far, spoke up. "Lucy, is that you?" Happy's voice questioned the golden-furred Exceed. Realization hit the other two Slayers like a bus. It was Lucy and that's why something seemed off.

Natsu ran to Gajeel and Lucy's side in panic, pushing Laxus out of the way. "It's really you, Luce. What happened?" he questioned her in bewilderment. He quickly pulled his friend into his arms; Happy flying over to hug her too. "I'll fix this, Luce, I promise," Natsu spoke, determined to help his best friend. She began crying softly into his chest, the hopeless feeling returning. The rest of Team Natsu and Wendy approached to show their support as well.

_What if he can't fix this?_

Meanwhile, Laxus had stumbled away from the two Slayers and Exceeds. It was Lucy the entire time. His chest clenched painfully. For so long, he wanted an Exceed by his side; this was supposed to be his chance. It wasn't though. He was still alone.

He turned and left silently, a numb feeling overtaking him.

Only the Exceeds realized he was leaving. Lucy felt horrible and couldn't let that happen. She saw how much hope he had when he asked her to be his Exceed. Never before had she realized it, but now she knew for sure. Laxus wanted an Exceed just as bad as Gajeel had wanted one.

She felt wings spout from her back and she wiggled her way out from her best friend's embrace. Clumsily, she flew to Laxus' retreating form. "Wait!" she shouted.

Startled, Laxus turned around to face Lucy. His face was a blank mask.

"Don't leave," she was lost for further words. She didn't know what to say.

"Sorry, Blondie, I have somewhere to be," he said with little emotion.

"I'll be your Exceed," she blurted out without thinking. Laxus gave her an incredulous look. Everyone stared at her in shock. Lucy felt embarrassed, but continued on.

"If you want, I can be your Exceed until we figure out how to turn me back," she said, unsure now more than when she was giving him the offer. "But if you don't want to, you don't have to," she finished, losing all confidence.

Laxus' face, no longer phased, seemed to brighten with hope. It was weird thinking of having her as his Exceed, but just the thought of having his own feline partner filled him with joy. He couldn't stop the brilliant smile that overtook his face; he was ecstatic.

"Sounds good to me, Blondie," he said, toning down his smile to a mischievous smirk.

Lucy began to feel slight dread. _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

**Author's Note: I've been real busy with college. It's only my first semester and two of my courses are labs ;_; among other classes of course. Then, I'm in 5 different clubs, one of which I'm the president. So don't be too mad. In other news, the 7th was my birthday. I'm now 19 and my mom paid for me to go bungee jumping. That was fun. Then two day after, it was my mom's birthday and I got to see her again! I don't get to see my mom much, so it was great! I also got Jurassic World B) Anyways, yeah... sorry again.**

**Review Response:**

**Shelly22112: That's great, Thank you! :)**

**kurahieiritr JIO: You review at expert mode, meaning it's awesome! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Laxus didn't have a major reaction though. His dreams were crushed, he was numb. I could have made him have a more dramatic reaction, but I felt he would just try to slip away on his own. As for Gajeel, I feel like he would be the protective older brother she needs in this situation, since her team couldn't fill in the role yet as they were still ignorant of her current predicament. And thanks for your encouraging words. You're right, when I think of figuring out my next move the way you pointed it out, it makes it far more exciting! ^-^**

**laknight11: That's great to hear! I definitely wanted them to all be closer because in their time of need, Fairy Tail has each other's backs. :P And yeah, still have no idea where I'm going with this, but hopefully somewhere as cool as I am. B) lol jk. I've considered off and on whether I would eventually add a romantic aspect to this, but again, I'm not sure until we get there. The same goes for Gajeel. I tend to have multiple ships for Lucy, so who knows who she might end up with if I decide to take that path, it'll be a surprise for us all. :)**

**LaLuloverfairytail: That is super wonderful to hear! Thank you! :)**

**VA-fan-G-Girl-25: I feel you, I adore LaLu...and many other Lucy ships. :3 I think I created a Wattpad once, but I preferred this site because I'm more familiar with it. Whereas, Wattpad I don't use at all. I think some of your questions were answered in this chapter. You did mention Sabertooth though, I might consider exploring that route or something similar. I do enjoy all the Dragon Slayers, so I wouldn't mind trying to fit them into the story. :P**

**Rosey 1320: Yeah, it's continuing, just _very _slowly. ****º~º That's good to hear, hopefully you can continue to enjoy this story. :) I'm glad I could help change up the stories and make something a little different because I've noticed a good chunk of the stories are similar in theme. Hopefully this different is good. :P**

**Keerannyx: That's great to hear. I'll try to keep posting, maybe even more frequently, but this upcoming semester is going to be even more packed and I'm trying to get a job on campus. But life isn't any fun if it's not a little crazy, right?! Thank you for the support! ^-^**

**SuperPsycoNutcase: Here it is! It tried to escape, but I caught it just in time! :3 **


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